Complications of secondary surgical capsulotomy in pseudophakic and aphakic eyes.

A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the complications of surgical capsulotomy in 587 eyes--51 aphakic and 536 pseudophakic. Transient or permanent complications occurred in 20 (3.4%). One eye was seriously damaged by perforation during retrobulbar anesthesia, and another eye was lost due to endophthalmitis. Endophthalmitis developed in two other eyes, but it readily resolved with medication. Two eyes had markedly elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) (greater than 35 mm Hg), which was associated with the presence viscoelastic material in one eye; in the other eye, elevated IOP was the result of vitreous blocking of the pupillary aperture. Retinal detachments developed in nine patients (eight of whom, a significant number [P = .006], were males). Apart from the eyes in which endophthalmitis developed, all were markedly quiet after the procedure, and pressure elevation was not significant.